Sharpening titanium?

[junger]

I have a HAK (straight) in titanium. It's first the titanium knife that I've owned. I'm eventually going to need to sharpen it and I'm wondering if there are any special considerations to address when sharpening titanium? Are there specific stones that are better for titanium versus steel? Is there no difference between the two and I should just sharpen the titanium as if it were steel?

Thanks.

 

[Bartkowski]

Is the whole knife blade titanium or does it have some coating? The reason I ask is because I didn't think that titanium could hold an edge very well. Anyway, I bet a regular stone or diamond stone would work fine, I don't have experience with a titanium knife so I am not 100% certain on that.

 

[.cheese.]

Titanium HideAway: Titanium is an amazing material that is very light, very strong, and never ever corrodes. The titanium model is also in straight, claw, and hybrid shapes. Click on "I want one!" when you are ready to order. Also on the "I want one!" page is a picture gallery by blade type for the blade types above. In titanium, only pictures of the Hybrid exist so far.

huh.... I didn't know that existed.

like the previous poster, I would imagine regular stones would work.

ETA: I did some searching, and it seems Titanium doesn't hold as good an edge as steel, but it sharpens just as easily with the same tools.

 

[jklinstein]

Titanium is a "gummy" metal as compared to steel. A file will remove small hard chips from a piece of steel, but will be more likely to get "gummed up" by Titanium (in this regard it's similar to Aluminum).

I wouldn't expect Titanium to hold an edge very well at all.

 

[junger]

Thanks for the info.

Cheese - the titanium straight does exist... i got mine earlier this spring. I ordered from "Available Now" section and got it in about a month. It has the same shape as the utility HAK based on the pics of that knife that i have seen.

I love it.

 

[rantingredneck]

Is this a solid titanium blade or does it have a titanium coating over normal tool steel?

I've never seen one that was titanium all the way through, for the reasons cited above.

Titanium is tough, but not hard. Hard holds an edge, tough resists breakage. Typically you've got to find a happy medium between the two with knife steels and there are tradeoffs. Most of the titanium setups I've heard of were steel blades that were titanium coated for durability but still were steel.

If it's solid titanium that is interesting.

 

[junger]

I'm thinking it's solid titanium based on weight (though I am not 100% certain). To give you an idea, it weighs less than its kydex sheath. (see website below for pics)

I got it from these folks...
http://www.hideawayknife.com/main.php

 

[.cheese.]

Cheese - the titanium straight does exist... i got mine earlier this spring. I ordered from "Available Now" section and got it in about a month. It has the same shape as the utility HAK based on the pics of that knife that i have seen.

I know it does now. That's why I posted what I found on the HAK website.

 

[CWL]

The HAK titanium knives are made from a billet of pure titanium (don't ask me which kind), they are not meant to be as sharp or as tough as the steel ones, but they have a great 'cool' factor. If you seriously needed to carry one, it would be for around and in corrosive elements like the ocean.

Back when Front Site was around, she and I had a conversation about these and her general opinion was that these fit into the "cool" group of knives as opposed to for heavy use since titanium edges are softer and wouldn't hold up near as well as S30V steel.

 

[rantingredneck]

Well from your link I found this

HideAways are made of Crucible Steel's new S30V stainless steel. Knifemakers prefer S30V for its combination of edge retention capabilities and rust resistance. On the other hand, S30V costs a lot more than other knife steels and is more difficult to grind and work with at every step of the process. But for the customer, the end result is a great edge. The titanium HideAways are made from 6AL4V Titanium, which is the recipe that Mick Strider says is best for this incredibly lightweight, durable, and corrosion free material.

Seems as if they are solid 6AL4V Titanium. Must be an alloy that has better edge retention characteristics than typical titanium alloys.

 

[Valkman]

It shouldn't need sharpening as it's not meant to be used like a steel knife would be. I wouldn't use it for everyday chores, I'd get a steel blade for that and keep the Ti one ready for emegencies.

 

[hso]

Yes, titanium alloy blades exist (got several).

The Beta Ti 6Al4V HAKs are not day to day users (hardly any Ti alloy blades are). Their advantage is that they can't "rust" even when carried against sweaty skin and they're light weight. They are a deep concealment last ditch knife that you pull when your life is on the line.

They will take a good edge, just not a scary sharp edge (in my experience), but plenty sharp enough for their intended purpose.

Ti alloys are "gummy" so stones don't work well. Mission knives issues a diamond sharpener with their Beta Ti alloy knives and diamond is all I've ever heard of that does well with Ti alloys.

 

[junger]

I doubt I will ever need to sharpen it. I bought it for the sole purpose in life to be carried weak-side to cut someone off my gun. I carry folders with it when there's a need for routine cutting. It's just that the HAK grip concept is so handy and practical that I've recently considered using it more for utility purposes as well as weapon retention so that i could leave the folders at home. Thus, my OP.

 

[hso]

Limit it's use to self-defense and you'll always have a razor sharp troll remover at the ready. Use it for anything else and it won't be.

 

[rbmcmjr]

Titanium knives are similar to the fly-outta-your-handium magnums: Carry a lot, use very little or only when needed. I have a couple:



The arrow-head on the right and the weird trapezoid with the hole in the middle are 6Al4V blades made by someone who occasionally posts here (but I will let him claim them). I have made a couple test cuts to know how they work, but they are not "users" in the ordinary sense. The one works well as a credit card knife.

Rick

 

[Novus Collectus]

Are they detectable by metal detectors?
I know the titanium rod in my leg isn't for the most part, so I wonder.....

 

[JTW Jr.]

rbmcmjr:

Ti knife on the bottom , left , is 6AL4V Titanium. I can't remember how long its been since I made any of those. named the Nah-Ti Necker. Drilling that hole in the Ti was not fun at all
Just noticed the TI & CF push dagger as well... man those are like a walk down memory lane. I am thinking of making some of those 2 designs from blade steel sometime.

You can get Ti pretty darn sharp , but it is not a daily using edge , however it will cut and cut well for emergency use to save your bacon.

 

[Jimmy Newman]

6Al4V titanium is a titanium alloy that has 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. It is also sometimes called Grade 5 titanium. It is sometimes classed as an "aircraft alloy." It is used for gas turbine parts (and a lot of other stuff). It is one of the most common high-strength alloys and is significantly stronger than pure titanium but does not weld well. If you're going to make a titanium knife, it seems to me like the obvious choice because it gets you closest to what you need for a good knife.

Unfortunately, even the high grade titanium alloys can't get anywhere near the surface hardness of a good piece of tool or blade steel.

Another material that gets used for non-steel tools and cutting edges is beryllium copper (also sometimes called beryllium bronze). It is also nonmagnetic, nonsparking, and corrosion resistant and can attain an okay surface hardness - up to about 45C on the rockwell scale. Nickel-copper alloys get used sometimes too.

(I do engineering work with stuff that goes on and under oil rigs and we use titanium sometimes - it is, as stated by previous posters, a pain in the neck to machine because the metal behaves very differently from steel - it's not only hard to do but it wears out cutting tools very quickly).